Abstract
Reinforcement protection is a fundamental aspect in the performance of reinforced concrete structures, and it is achieved through concrete quality and cover thickness. Surveys have pointed to negligence regarding cover specifications and ineffective execution procedures. As a consequence, inadequate covers are increasingly recurrent. A factor that contributes to aggravate the problem is the lack of clarity of construction standards regarding the distribution of the spacers to obtain the planned cover. This research work consists in a case study with different distances between the spacers for positive reinforcement in slabs (work pattern and controlled spacing of 20 cm, 40 cm, 60 cm and 80 cm). The aim of this study is to compare the cover thicknesses before and after concreting, to associate them with the standard service life, as well as to evaluate whether the design and execution standards are sufficient to help obtain the cover. The study showed that the minimum cover to guarantee the design service life was not fully achieved, but execution control and a method for distributing the spacers would significantly influence the obtention of the cover, with a distance of 40 cm between spacers producing the best performance of all the spacings evaluated.
Keywords:
Concrete cover; Spacers distribution; Durability; Service life
